Principal Recommendation for Public Schools’ Leadership in Lesotho: The School Board’s Interview
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v6i5.559Keywords:
School Leadership, Recommendation, School Board, Interview, PrincipalAbstract
This paper explores the school board interview and how the decision to appoint a principal is arrived at. The study was a multiple case study with 24 public school board members employing criterion sampling within the context of social constructivism theory. Data were collected and analyzed thematically using a semi-structured interview guide. The study's findings revealed that board members are looking for a candidate who has an additional qualification in management, must meet the job requirements, has good financial management skills, influences student outcomes, communication skills, administration skills, and is disciplined. Personal biases, early decisions, application order, merits, interview outcome, and political affiliation all impact board members' decision to suggest a candidate. It is recommended that the nomination of public school principals be evaluated in terms of seniority and competence.
Downloads
References
Akpan, I.V., Igwe, A.U., Mpamah, I.M., & Okoro, O.C. (2020). Social constructiv-ism: implications on teaching and learning. British Journal of Education, 8(8), 49-56.
Baker, L. L. (2001) "Principal selection and the stories superintendents tell." Elec-tronic theses and dissertations. Paper 94. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/94
Dhuey, E., & Smith, J. (2014). How important are school principals in the produc-tion of student achievement? Canadian Journal of Economics, 47, 634-663. doi:10.1111/caje.12086.
Education Act., (2010). Act No. 3 of 2010 (Kingdom of Lesotho). Government Ga-zette, No.20, 15 March 2010.
Horvat, T., Žvorc, B., & Skoko, H. (2019). Impact of school management on legally adequate content of a budget plan: The evidence from Slovenia, Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 32:1, 3502-3518.
Ibrahim, M. (2012). Thematic analysis: A critical review of its process and evalua-tion. West East Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1), 39–47.
Lee, S. W., & Mao, X. (2023). Recruitment and selection of principals: A systematic review. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(1), 6–29.
Lunenburg, C.F. (2010). The Interview as a selection device: problems and possi-bilities. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity, 12(1), 1-7.
Mampane, S.T. (2015). Procedures and processes followed in the appointment of principals for school leadership and management, Journal of Social Scienc-es, 42(3), 239-245, DOI:10.1080/09718923.2015.11893411.
Mampane, S. T., & Mampane, T. J. (2022). ECCE centre managers’ understanding of instructional leadership in rural South Africa. Bulgarian Comparative Education Society, 20(5), 203–208.
Mncube, V.S., & Makhasane, S. (2013). The dynamics and intricacy of budgeting in secondary schools in Lesotho: Case studies of three high schools. Africa Ed-ucation Review, 10(2), 347–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/18146627.2013.810903
Motsamai, J.M., Jacobs, L., & de Wet, C. (2011). Policy and practice: financial management in school in the Mafeteng district of Lesotho. Journal of Social Sciences, 26(2), 105-116.
Mphutlane, G. G. (2018). Lesotho secondary school principals’ perceptions of their sense of efficacy regarding their managerial competencies (Doctoral disser-tation, Faculty of Education, National University of Lesotho).
Nasreen, A. (2019). The world of a school principal: A Qualitative Study of Sec-ondary School Principals' Selection, Capability, and Current Practices in the Province of Punjab. Bulletin of Education and Research. 41(2), 161-179.
Okendu, N.J. (2012). The role of school board, school heads and parent-teachers association in the effective management of public schools. Journal of Edu-cation and Practice. 3(8), 201-208.
Okendu, J.N. (2006). Personnel administration in education. Port Harcourt: Horizon Concepts Publishers.
Pendola, A., & Fuller, E.J. (2018). Principal stability and the rural divide. In E. McHenry- Sorber & D. Hall (Eds.), The diversity of rural educational leader-ship [Special issue]. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 34(1), 1-20.
Prew M., 2007. Successful principals: Why some prin cipals succeed and others struggle when faced with innovation and transformation. South African Journal of Education, 27(3): 447-462.
Rangongo, P., Mohlakwana, M., & Beckmann, J. (2016). Causes of financial mis-management in South African public schools: The views of role players. South African Journal of Education, 36(3): Art. # 1266, 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v36n3a1266
Samosir, H., Situmorang, B., & Daryanto, E. (2021). Strategy to become a great principal. In Proceedings of the 6th Annual International Seminar on Trans-formative Education and Educational Leadership (AISTEEL 2021), 132–136.
Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262-274.
Sebastian, J., Allensworth, E., Wiedermann, W., Hochbein, C., & Cunningham, M. (2019). Principal leadership and school performance: An examination of in-structional leadership and organizational management. Leadership and poli-cy in schools, 18(4), 591-613.
Sezer, Ş. (2016). School administrators’ opinions on frequently changing regulations related to appointments and relocation: A new model proposal. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 16(2), 335-356
Sezer, S., & Engin, G. (2021). School principals’ views on selecting, training and appointment of administrator for schools: A case study. Education and Sci-ence, 46 (206), 263-280.
Ullah, M. (2010). A Systematic approach of conducting employee selection. Inter-view International Journal of Business and Management, 5(6), 106-112.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Motlatsi Mathunya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published by CJESS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits third parties to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon the original work provided that the original work and source is appropriately cited.
